Joseph Fiennes Faces Blackface Backlash For Playing Michael Jackson

Joseph Fiennes stars as Michael Jackson in the upcoming British show "Urban Myths."Photo: Sky Arts

White British actor Joseph Fiennes is coming under fire for portraying African-American pop icon Michael Jackson in an upcoming British comedy series. Yesterday British network SkyArts aired a trailer for the upcoming show Urban Myths (think Drunk History without the drinking) and the sight of the Shakespeare in Love actor as Jackson has igniting a firestorm on Twitter.

The Daily Mail reports that fans are calling it “whitewashing” and are resurrecting Jackson’s own words to Oprah Winfrey in 1993 on the topic. Jackson told Winfrey: “Why would I want a white child to play me? I’m a black American. I’m proud to be a black American. I’m proud of my race. I’m proud of who I am. I have a lot of pride in who I am, and dignity. That’s like you wanting an oriental person to play you as a child. Does that make sense?”

Photo: Sky Arts

The episode’s director Ben Palmer has leapt to Fiennes’ defense. Palmer told The Guardian, “We were casting Michael Jackson in 2001 and that obviously is a challenge in terms of the physical resemblance. We were really looking for the performance that could unlock the spirit, and we really think Joe Fiennes has done that. He’s given a really sweet, nuanced, characterful performance.”

Photo: Sky Arts

The episode in question tackles a rumored road trip that Jackson supposedly took with Elizabeth Taylor (Stockard Channing) and Marlon Brando (Brian Cox) shortly after September 11, 2001. The trio were apparently trying to flee New York City.

Photo: Sky Arts

The upcoming season of Urban Myths also features an episode where Iwan “Ramsay Bolton” Rheon plays a young Adolf Hitler and Rupert “Ron Weasley” Grint plays Hitler’s best friend. Somehow those casting choices feel a bit more on the nose (but that could be because we’re used to seeing Rheon as an evil Meglomaniac and Grint as a classic best friend).